Proponents of MLB team for Portland announce deal for stadium site

Author

Published

Share it

Dive Brief:

The Portland Diamond Project, an organization trying to land a Major League Baseball team for Portland, Oregon, has struck a tentative deal with the Port of Portland to develop a 45-acre site into a stadium complex. The Portland Diamond Project’s Mike Barrett, according to local NBC affiliate KGW, said it could cost about $1 billion to build the stadium and another $1 billion to acquire the land.

Located along the Willamette River, the stadium’s current design would include cafe seating with a view of the field, a rooftop garden deck, a boardwalk and public plaza, a gondola suite, another plaza overlooking center field and a bicycle tailgate area. The ballpark would seat up to 34,000 people and have a retractable roof. The agreement with the port gives the Portland Diamond Project the sole option to buy the property while the organization performs due diligence on the land and conducts environmental studies.

“We're committed to building a sustainable, equitable, and accessible ballpark that reflects what makes Portland such a special place to live,” said Craig Cheek, the project’s founder and president. “That means outstanding locally sourced food and beverage amenities, environmentally sustainable construction and operations, opportunities for makers and small businesses, and an atmosphere that celebrates diversity and inclusion and is welcoming to all Portlanders.”

Dive Insight:

It’s not only stadium construction itself that generates so much excitement when it comes to building new ballparks, but the possible amenities that will be included in the design as well. Fans are no longer content to watch a game, have a soda and a hot dog and then go home. They want something extra.

And “something extra" is no doubt what the Oakland A’s had in mind when the club hired Bjarke Ingels Group to design its new Oakland baseball stadium, also on the site of a current port terminal.

The new 34,000-seat ballpark will feature an elevated park, extending down to the adjacent waterfront, on top of the area surrounding the venue’s seating bowl. The stadium will also serve as the anchor for a new mixed-use district featuring housing with affordable options, restaurants, retail, small businesses and public areas.

The team will turn its existing home at the Oakland Coliseum into another mixed-use development featuring the existing Oracle Arena, which will be revamped into a concert and cultural event arena. The project will also preserve the Coliseum’s baseball diamond as a nod to the venue’s history.